Abide — What does it mean to abide?

The definition in the dictionary means to tarry, remain, wait, linger, live, endure, persevere.
God has been speaking to me about this word.

Noah built a box of wood, later called an Ark, and he covered it with a sticky substance inside and out. to protect the life inside from water.

They had to come in, shut the doors, and window, and abide, rest, until the rain stopped, and the evil outside was swept away.

Moses built the Ark of the Covenant, covered with pure gold inside and out, to hold God’s covenant with man, the 10 Commandments, Aaron’s budded branch, and the manna provided in the desert.

This represented The Law, the staff to guide and correct, the Vine and the manna to feed and sustain.

Its weight was about 1,500 pounds and it was supernaturally carried by God’s Spirit, upon four men’s shoulders carrying it, who were the priests of The LORD.

The Ark held the presence of God.  It rested in the holy place behind a veil in The Tabernacle, where it abided.

The Ark was used in battle to go before Israel and conquer whatever was in their way.

God rested His power in that box to represent what later would become us.

Let me explain.

We, who are born again, are reborn into the Kingdom of God.  We become a new creation.

We are The Temple of The LORD.

The Ark is now inside of us, as we received Christ to live in us, guide us, protect us, and feed us spiritually.

The Holy Spirit of The LORD abides in us.

We need to connect with this Living Water and abide in Him — rest in Christ.

The demons flee as we, who abide in the peace and security of God, enter places.

Our very footsteps then become led by The Holy Spirit and we no longer need to stress, worry or fret about the next step.

We are The LORD’s chosen, and we have His permanent covenant within us.

He will never leave or forsake us.

We are His family, His Bride.

It is in resting in Him, trusting in His Mercy and Grace, that we can navigate our way in this life, to our ultimate destiny, Heaven.

A piece of Heaven is in us, and we can rest assured all is well with Jesus at the wheel of our ship.

We can be like Him who slept in the storm, Who calmed the sea with His command, “Peace, be still!” — and Who walked on water, with the enemy beneath His feet.

Abide  |  Dwell   |   Rest   |   Trust

You will make it to the end by trusting in Him, Who abides in you.

John, the beloved disciple, leaned against His chest. He loved His Master, his Friend.

As we abide, we hear His heart beat and speak.  The noise is cancelled out, and our minds and bodies rest.

“I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”    John 15:1-4.

Here, Jesus explains that He is the Vine, and we are the branches.  A fruit can’t bear fruit just on its own. It has to be attached to the vine.

In verse 4, John 15, He says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

So Jesus is saying, “Dwell in Me — and I will dwell in you!”

Reflect on the ark of Noah.  Reflect on the Ark of the Covenant, and reflect on the fact that you are now the temple of God, housing His covenant promises.

He goes before us.

He guides us, he leads us, but we can’t strive to produce the fruit on our own.

We can’t strive to do it ourself.

We have to rest and let that branch bud blossom, grow, and then produce fruit.

I hope this blesses you, and that you will rest assured that Jesus is at the wheel of your life.

The hardest thing to do is to let go of the wheel.

 

Blessings,
~ Heidi Bryden

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Heidi Bryden is a devout follower of The LORD Jesus Christ, whose desire is to hear and obey the calling on her life to serve Him, through sharing what the Holy Spirit impresses upon her through poems, dreams, and words of knowledge.

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